Hybrid Station Wagons

Nope, most/all hybrids have been parallel drive systems, but that is just starting to change.

The new Ford Fusion makes some claims:

When I first read that I thought it said up to 47 miles in EV mode. Only 47 MPH in EV mode? Really?????
Is their electric drive system that weak? An all electric Tesla Roadster can do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and is electronically limited to 125 MPH, so the available technology is not lacking.






It looks like Chevy is on track with the Volt.

 

Yup, me too!

But I do have to say I am really liking the propane Buick. I remember when propane was 1/4 the cost of gas and it was worth it to convert a car/truck but propane atlthough still cheaper than gas I could'nt justify the convertion cost today.

I have no idea what millage I'm getting, I just go by it cost$ me "X" amount ($) a week to drive and everthing we drive needs a tank of gas a week....untill the Buick came along. I still don't know how much it will cost to fill it but I topped it off full with $40 and 10 days later I'm just a hair under a 1/4 tank now compared to 7 days driving and on empty compared to the Crewzer witch costs apx $50 to drive and my truck witch costs $40 for 7 days use.

The Buick is my HyBarge and just like a carburated engine the system is very simple to maintain.

The only main down fall is, not every gas station has propane for cars so a road trip with it would not be practical.



As for the pole.....I said no, there is no way I'll $ spend that kind of $ to brag about gas millage and then that would be the only car we could have

 

I agree with you about the $$$. They are going to have to get EV's to a decent price point before I would take a serious look at one. (or I get a mighty substantial raise in pay ).

For me its less about gas milage than it is about breaking free of energy monopolies and being able to fuel the car by any means of generating electricity.
Keep in mind, I am one who is enamoured with the sound of a large bore V8 with wide open secondaries. I'd be willing to leave that behind if it meant I could give Chevron etc. a big one fingered salute.

Now, talk about simplicity. How many moving parts does the drive train of an EV have?

 

All this hype about Hybrids, but nobody gives you a 'total cost of ownership' especially on these 'new-tech' cars.

We went through 6 months of analysing efficient appliances and we nailed it! Go out and drop almost $9,000 in appliances and you want to know what they'll cost you to operate. Well they have what Energy Star calls the 'Second Cost'. Operating cost per year.

These Hybrids never mention the cost to replace the $5,000 USD$ battery, whose life expectancy is about 5 years or when the warranty dies. They are an appliance with its own battery charger. That's all.

I'd rather use water injection on a Turbo I4 and have it all. There's a reason that Ford dropped his Electric cars back in the 1800's, as did others. They are puddle jumpers for low-speed city driving, not general purpose vehicles.

Our countries are still growing and we need vehicles that can haul families and stuff to our work sites. They have done a lot to make vehicles efficient and then hidden their research. The best they can come up with an overgrown handicap scooter? BS!

 

Actually, I would buy a puddle jumper (if they were there to buy, and I were in a position to buy it)
I forget median figures for commutes, but for many people, it's under 50miles-- a 100mile range would take care of 80% of driving.

This of course assumes that you can afford two vehicles-- a high-priced puddle jumper (just what IS the recycle 'core' value on those batteries? Probably very good-- when the dealer charges $5000 for the new battery and just walks off with the old one he should make a tidy bit extra. I was finding quotes of $2000 3rd-party btw). But even so. No denying a very high TCO, a couple thousand shaved from dealer quote or not.

And then, afford to own a second larger vehicle for vacations, jobsites, hauling, all-around utility, a need which is never going to go away.
...Although, the zipcar model of car rental could work very well, if you only need the wagon irregularly. I only need a truly heavy duty pickup a couple times a year, for example, so I have to hire someone for a couple hundred who owns one. But still cheaper than buying, driving (gas), and maintaining an old f350 as a daily driver. Some people might take that approach for wagons if they just need to move furniture sporadically.

Not every family can afford extra cars.

Heh. I mused once over a CNG pickup, but in Baltimore, there's just ONE remaining public gas station -- in all of baltimore! I'd just be asking for a nightmare, stranded on the fringe of the beltway waiting for AAA to tow me back to the one station.
Where I'm going with that, is-- I in effect would have a limited range identical to the effect of an all-electric's battery limitation. Quite a tether. In the electric you could charge anywhere, but you'd have to plan for an 8-hr workday at one site, or a hotel stay overnight if vacationing, while it recharges; so not quite as crippling as needing the CNG refueling apparatus but the point is clear.

 

I want to build an electric 928. I will do this someday...just to do it.

http://www.evalbum.com/type/PORS

Both of my cars have 455's in them, so I'm never going to be considered a greenie, but I like the idea of an EV.

These were neat cars...neatly stacked.






David

 

All that nice moulded plastic to burn off! Just makes you want breathe deep and smell the future.

They do look good all stacked up like that!

 

Geez, Wix, I know of what you speak when you say 455.

I figure I'm doing my green part by driving an old car versus buying a new one every year. The impact on the globe for all the stuff that goes in to making it far outweighs the insignificant amout of pollution it generates, and particularly given the mileage we put on it each year.

For a kick around dash for groceries type of vehicle I'd be happy with an electric, but not for the price they want for them. Actually, the more I think about it, just spending the money on that electric car when I can just use what I've got and save the globe even more makes more sense doesn't it? Yeah, thats the ticket.

 

Get me a conversion kit, and i will convert my next wagon!! But this "thing" is something that i never would let my children see me ride around in.... The design is absolutley HORRIBLE! But as said before, the mother earth will need us to put our gasguzzlers away sometime..

 

Hybrid

I already drive a few hybrids. They burn rubber and gas!And the money I don't spend on looong car payments I can use to buy more gas....to burn more rubber. It ain't how far ya get on a gallon of gas.. it's how much fun you have getting there.

 

Only thing I can say is look what they did with diesel P/U's. Made them effecient so they hike diesel up higer than gas now.When I have to haul a car on a trailer I use my dad's '03 Ram 3500 cummins. I hauled a 3200 lbs. car from Pensacola Florida to Talisheek Louisiana (about 400 mile round trip) and got 18 miles to the gallon at 70 mph. Without trailer it is not unusual to get 20 or 21 at 75 and just for the hell of it I have run 68 mph. and got 24 miles per gallon but at the price of diesel you might as well drive a 15 mpg. gas burner.So I am confident they will find a way to mess up the efficency (if it is) of a hybrid. NO HYBRID FOR ME ANYWAY.My Nissan frontier is the smallest truck I ever owned and I am not really impressed with the mpg it's 4cyl gets.It only gets 21 mpg on a good day I would rather have my 16 mpg Quad cab hemi ram 4x4 back....

 

Hemi Dodge

:banghead3:Yep, that's what I get on my Hemi Dodge quadcab truck. Pitiful. All that hi-tech fuel injection, electronic do-dad's and still not as good as many old carburated engines.

 

But atleast you have a TRUCK. I have a 1/4th of a truck and only get 5 more mpg.I have power windows but don't need them because I can comfortably reach over and roll down the passenger window and if someone is riding with you,you better make sure you like them because you will be sitting very close

 

I truly don't have a need for a hybrid. We drive so little that it's not economical to make a major vehicle change JUST for mpg's. When we need to haul all seven of us, the Durango makes sense. Not many new 7/8 passenger vehicles in the sub-$30000 range get much better than the 17-19mpg that it achieves. The 2011 Explorer is one, and that is what my wife wants. Eventually she will get it and that will be our family hauler. I'd pick a Chevy Traverse only because I see them on sale for $26995 and the Explorer starts at $28995. Wifey wants an XLT with the power hatch, MyTouch, and cloth seats. And what wifey wants, wifey gets. I expect we'll keep the Durango around as a car for the next kid that gets their license.

As far as other driving, I've determined that of the driving we do, 15% of it has all 7 of us, 15% has 4 or 5 of us, and the other 70% is 1, 2, or 3 of us. So there is absolutely a reason to pick up a little 40mpg beater car for that running around. I've got a short list for that, most of which my wife doesn't approve of because they're standard shift...

1990-1993 Acura Integra sedan, 1.8L/5-speed
1989-1992 Colt/Summit/Mirage hatchback, 1.5L/4-speed or 5-speed
1987-1994 Shadow/Sundance hatchback, 2.2L/5-speed
1991-1992 Geo Prizm sedan, base with 1.6L/5-speed or LSi with DOHC 1.6L/automatic OD
1993-1997 Geo Prizm sedan, base with 1.6L/5-speed or LSi with 1.8L/automatic OD
1988-1991 Honda Civic hatchback or sedan, 1.5L/5-speed or automatic OD
1992-1995 Honda Civic coupe or sedan, 1.5L/5-speed or automatic OD
1991-1994 Nissan Sentra coupe or sedan, 1.6L/5-speed or automatic OD
1995-1997 Nissan Sentra sedan, 1.6L/5-speed or automatic OD
1991-2002 Saturn SL/SL1 sedan or SW1 wagon, 1.9L/5-speed or automatic OD
1993-1997 Toyota Corolla sedan or wagon, base/CE/DX with 1.6L/5-speed or LE with 1.8L/automatic OD

These cars should all get 35-40mpg (except maybe the Integra, but I like that bodystyle)

I don't need a hybrid to get 40+mpg. Just careful defensive driving, thinking ahead, coasting when possible, light throttle when needed, don't get on it, don't race up to stopsigns and lights, don't tailgate, don't race anyone, et cetera. If I can get 17-19mpg out of a Dodge Durango rated at 12/17 without paying attention or maintaining it well (I hate this truck) then I can beat new or old EPA ratings in anything else if I focus a bit.